WWE News: Candice LeRae talks about her Mae Young Classic experience
What's the story?
Independent wrestling standout and Mae Young Classic quarter-finalist Candice LeRae gave an interview recently to Ring Rust Radio about her experiences working in the tournament. She also spoke about potentially signing with WWE in the future.
In case you didn't know...
Candice LeRae made her professional wrestling debut back in 2002, and the subsequent 15 years have seen her become one of the most popular female wrestlers on the entire planet.
LeRae's work in PWG (alongside Joey Ryan as The World's Cutest Tag Team) is what brought her to the attention of the majority of hardcore wrestling fans.
LeRae was widely expected to take part in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. The Canadian Goddess defeated Renee Michelle in the first round before besting Nicole Savoy in the second, only to fall to eventual runner-up Shayna Baszler in the quarterfinals.
The heart of the matter
LeRae spoke to Ring Rust Radio to promote WrestleCircus' upcoming one-year anniversary show CircusMania, which takes place this coming Saturday. During the interview, LeRae was asked about working in the Mae Young Classic, with Candice saying it was something she has wanted since childhood.
"To this day it is insane to me because it is something I've wanted since I was a six-year-old little kid. It's super cool, and I felt like I'd been preparing my entire career for that"
Candice went on to talk about how she felt like her chance was never going to come, due to the time in which she started wrestling. LeRae made her debut in 2002, when women's wrestling was marginalised and buried underneath swimsuit models and misogyny.
"I used to think I got into wrestling at the wrong time and that it was never going to happen for me because I was a little different to some of the other girls that I was around when I started wrestling"
Many expect Candice LeRae to turn up in WWE sooner rather than later, and the Winnipeg native affirmed that her long-term goal is indeed to sign with the biggest wrestling company on the planet.
"My dream has always been to wrestle for WWE and have a full-time contract there, so I kinda felt if I was going to go anywhere else or do anything else I was cheating myself out of my lifelong dream"
What's next?
CircusMania takes place this coming Saturday, and will be headlined by Shane Strickland, who will defend the WrestleCircus Ringmaster Championship against Brian Cage.
Candice LeRae will once again team with Joey Ryan to take on the team of John Morrison and Taya Valkyrie.
Author's take
It really does feel like a matter of time before Candice LeRae signs a full-time contract with WWE and NXT. One thing working against her could well be the sheer size of the current female roster, but with three shows to fill, one assumes WWE can find space for a performer of Candice's ability.